Querencia
by Moddy
Summary: After going through several lab assistants and a talking from his parents, Caesar decides to build himself an assistant to help him around the lab. With his new helper, he is able to further his progress more efficiently, but he soon finds out that his talent of creation is more responsibility than he would have anticipated.
1. Assistant 5

_**Querencia(n.):** a place from which one's strength is drawn, where one feels at home; the place where you are your most authentic self_

* * *

It had started with yet another explosion that day. Rafael Salazar sighed as he found his chair rolling backward. The wheels wobbled before he grabbed the edge of the table in front of him and pulled himself back. The tremors were minor, just only momentary, and caused little-to-no damage to his surroundings with the only evidence being the distant crash and boom; it was the cause of the explosion that disgruntled him more than anything.

He was not alone in his thinking as he heard a frustrated noise from the other side of the laboratory. Rafael didn't bother to turn around to face Peter Meechum as the other man turned from his monitor and complained. Peter had been growling and muttering angrily since the first tremor when he arrived earlier that morning to take a look at the lab's operating systems, "That has to be at least the 7th time today, and it's barely noon! Doesn't he know that other people are trying to work here?"

During his time knowing Peter Meechum, Rafael described the man as quickly irritated but well-intentioned; anyone could easily miss the latter because of his serious nature and low tolerance for annoyances. Though, Meechum could be a pleasant and cooperative enough of a man when not tested. In a different set of words, his wife Violeta said to him, after only an hour of knowing Meechum, "He's a very negative man, that Peter Meechum."

"Now, what makes you think that's him this time?" Rafael maintained a smooth tone as he resumed his typing, "Maybe it could be Wilson? I did hear he had some ideas concerning some rather incautious-"

"Don't even pretend you don't know who's responsible for all these damn mini-earthquakes! The inconsideration- Did you happen to notice that because of one of these things, I spilled scorching hot coffee all over myself, or did you somehow miss the part where I was in agony just earlier?" Peter's grimace only deepened as he irritably gestured to his torso which revealed a dark splash of brown that contrasted with the previously white dress shirt.

"Oh, believe me, I could hear how much pain you were in," the less annoyed man kept his back turned as an amused smirk grew on his face when he recalled the incident that occurred only this morning, "It was hard to ignore with all those painful words you used."

"Well, I'm glad that managed to brighten your morning, but you know what," seeing right through Rafael's weak facade of professionalism, Peter heatedly stood up and strode a few steps towards him to gain the other's attention better. Not as an initiation of violence, but the hostility nonetheless emphasized the ire he was trying to express without completely blowing up.

"You better do something about this, or else those assistants he keeps going through won't be the only ones forced to leave, and don't think I'm just referring to myself. It's starting to become an occupational hazard around here!"

Raf resisted shaking his head to continue to appear disinterested. That way, they could drop this conversation, sooner, "We're looking to create a cure for cancer here. It should go without saying that occupational hazards are a given. If people can't handle a few quakes along the way, then this may not be the job for them."

It was true. The Nanite Project was a somewhat strange and demanding mission, but to Rafael and his already exceptional experience with the strange and demanding, this project was just another fascinating challenge for him to explore.

There were those who were motivated to accept this job because of its remarkably high salary and benefits, or they saw it as their duty as a good Samaritan to make the world a better place, or some combination of those. Rafael agreed when he said those were significant motivators for him in contributing to this project, but the main reason had to be just pure curiosity. To Raf, investigating and studying the lengths and limits a living being can endure and conquer was a captivating enough endeavor with the right inspirations but add the factor of nanites which are supposed to enhance and even mutate that same living being's current abilities, and it becomes enthralling. Science was his passion, and the more he discovered, the more he could feel his blood rush and adrenaline rise. This project was a big one that only the more dedicated and committed should be permitted to participate in. He could admit that he may have a bit of a resentment with some of his co-workers when he felt they didn't live up to the same level of passion he had, but what can he say? He respects the field too much.

Peter growled in frustration at the scientist's calculating attitude and started to make his way to the exit for a break, "Look, it's not just the explosiveness that is the problem. He doesn't work well with others, he goes off on his mini projects with our funds that often cause more trouble than anything, and he's been getting away with it for far too long to the point that he holds almost no responsibility for the anxiety he has been causing!"

"Could it be that you're letting your vendetta with him fuel your anger at this? Besides, he's an adult," Rafael felt just the smallest twinge of exasperation begin to reveal itself, "He is capable of making his own decisions. What do expect me to do?"

"Yeah, but he's also your son!" and with the sliding shut of the lab's doors, Rafael was left alone with only Meechum's words left hanging like an echo in the room.

Raf ceased his typing for the moment to rub his face from weariness. Perhaps, he had been just a bit stubborn with Peter; the man did have a point. Rafael could only blame it on his wife's influence on him that he was being this defensive of Caesar's flaws instead of admitting his mistakes.

* * *

By the time Rafael had arrived at the source of the random eruptions in the building, he could already faintly hear the loud arguing going on behind the door. As the sliding panel entrance opened, the volume of yelling increased and became more evident, and a wave of smoke from a dying fire hit him in the face. He coughed as he attempted to wave away the offensive smog but maintained his professionalism, "¿Qué pasó?"

As the air cleared, three things came into view: his eldest son Caesar calmly using a fire extinguisher on a collection of charred metal, a similarly charred man spitting curses and attempting to lunge at Caesar, and his wife Violeta doing her best to hold back the soot-covered man and talk him down.

"Look, I realize you are upset," Violeta struggled but continued speaking as if she was reciting a script, "but honestly, this is nothing to lose your temper over-"

"Are you kidding me?!" The scorched man shouted with the whites of his eyes and teeth being the only indicator of the person underneath the soot, "He tried to kill me! I could have died! I will get upset at this cheeky sociopath; I will get FURIOUS!"

Meanwhile, Caesar had just finished putting out the remainder of the flames and turned back with a look of bewilderment, "Well, you should have known that the machine's' central core was about to become overcharged from the visible signs of instability that I didn't think I needed to tell you about. Aren't you supposed to be certified in computer engineering and industrial technology and management?"

"So, you sent me into the center of the explosion with no protection or warning because you just assumed that I would just know what to do?"

Rafael sighed, again, and made an effort to help simmer down the potential lawsuit and came to his wife's side who looked determined upfront, but he could sense her growing negativity. She took a breath and smiled wearily, "I completely understand your frustration here, and I'll make sure to talk to him about his behavior later, but try to look on the bright side!"

"What bright side?"

"You're still alive." Rafael answered before regretting as the scorch of a man yelled in frustration and stomped off with a throw of his lab coat, "I QUIT!"

The three remained silent, even as the removal of the coat revealed a shocking contrast of unblackened clothes underneath where the burnt coat was previously, and it left a comedic split of singed versus untouched quality to his outfit.

A few seconds passed before Violeta snapped her attention to her son and smacked his arm and scolded, "That was, what, your 5th assistant to leave since you've started working here?"

"Has it been five already?" Caesar looked mildly surprised as he paused to think back to his previous employees until his mother made a motion to hit him again that he quickly flinched away from.

"First, there was the one you sent rocketing throughout the building, and we had to actually get security to stop him from bisecting you with a chainsaw," the increasingly annoyed mother counted off on her fingers, "Then, there was the one you accidentally released your man-eating mutant plant on that almost ate her alive. She ran away screaming her resignation with the thing still snapping at her legs."

"There was also the one you just had fired because their work ethic was dissatisfying, which included wanting to get enough sleep that most human beings required unless they lived off coffee and energy drinks like you," his father added from his wife's side.

"And tell me, mijo, what exactly happened to your last assistant from barely three weeks ago?" while her face remained irritated and expectant, her tone spoke with innocent curiosity, like she was making small talk.

Cringing when he finally realized his mother was angry with him as she spoke, he reluctantly answered, "...Hospitalized from excessive electrocution."

"I'm still shocked from that incident. No pun intended." Rafael commented with a small grin before quickly reverting to his stern expression when his wife shot him a look.

"And now, your newest one has quit from you sending him to a bomb's core without telling him!" Violeta paused a moment to take a breath as she relaxed and adopted a different, more soothing tone, "Caesar, I understand that you're passionate about this project just as the rest of us, but we've been through this a thousand times before: you have got to start thinking about others here. We're divided enough as it is, so we have to work together as best as we can when we can. That means, we have to make sure our coworkers don't get hurt when it can be avoided, including with your assistants."

"Your mother's right, mijo," Rafael added with similar care, "and it's not just that, but if this reckless behavior and disregard for others continue, you may get into more trouble than you already are."

"We have to be cautious with others' safety here, now. Unlike your inventions, they can't be rebuilt as easily when they're blown up, or dented, or electrocuted. They're humans, not machines, Caesar. Be careful."

Remaining silent the whole time, the younger Salazar looked to his parents with guilt before sincerity and nodded in acceptance, "Okay."

Giving their son similar expressions of approval and pride, Violeta gave him an affectionate hug and kiss while Rafael preferred to stick with a reassuring shoulder squeeze, "Keep up the good work, mijo."

As his parents left him to clean up on his own, Caesar had begun to collect all the charred scrap metal and place them in a pile, but his mind was elsewhere as he was used to this routine after going through it when losing his previous assistants. He soon became lost in thought as an idea brought an eager grin to his face and shine in his eyes, "Humans can't be rebuilt, but machines can, so why don't I just build an assistant?"

* * *

 _ **Notes:** It's about dang time I finally write something for this fandom and publish it and just- ugh, I should've done this a long time ago. Well hopefully with Thanksgiving Break on the way, I can make something worth reading because I love Generator Rex and so much about it, and I want to support it, you know? I'm pretty rusty on writing fanfiction, but I hope you enjoy what I have in store..._

 _Thanks for skimming!_


	2. IRA

Since the loss of his most recent assistant, Caesar had not been seen for the next week or so much to the concern of his mother, Violeta. During his time cooped up in one of the laboratories by himself, she had wanted to check up on him, frequently, but Rafael had convinced her that he was probably just busily working away on whatever new machine he came up with and that they should give him space. The young Salazar was best known for thinking up spontaneous inventions and being able to perform a hundred tasks in short intervals of times, so the only concern from his co-workers was over what new world-ending device he's come up with now.

Violeta's more logical side reassured her that this behavior was not abnormal for her son, but her motherly instincts couldn't help but hover as sometimes Caesar's obsessions with his work could rival his father's, a statement that put her at unease.

Though eventually, the concerned mother managed to convince her husband to come with her to force their son to take a break. Rafael, though reluctant as he wasn't as perturbed by this behavior, did so if just to put his wife at ease.

When they did arrive, the parents gave a cautious scan around the room the moment in apprehension for something jumping at them at any moment. It would not be the first time they'd walk in, and a man-eating plant would try to attack them. Other than that, they were correct in their expectancy to see their eldest son typing away at a computer with a familiar immersed look in his eyes, unaware of the world around him.

Violeta approached him and reached out to tap his shoulder, "Caesar?"

"Just a second…" Not pulling himself away for a moment, the younger scientist barely acknowledged his mother's presence. Rafael cringed.

Violeta scowled as she debated between yanking her son from what he was doing or patiently waiting for him to finish, but he was already reluctantly turning away from his screen before she could make a decision. It took a couple of seconds of him staring at her to comprehend who was in front of him as a look of realization hit him, "Oh! What are you doing here?"

The older Salazar settled with giving him a well-natured smile, "Caesar, you've been stuck in this lab for days. It's time to take a break."

"Well actually, I-" standing abruptly, Caesar had to pause as a wave of dizziness hit him.

Before his parents could say anything, a mechanical voice echoed throughout the room, " Dr. Salazar, your hydration levels are low. It has been one hour and 3 minutes since your last refill. Do you require-"

The young scientist gave an ambiguous shake/nod of his head before continuing, "I'm alright. Maybe later, IRA."

As the younger scientist regained his composure, his parents gave the room similar looks of fascination. Violeta, momentarily forgetting about her initial purpose of seeing her son, felt enthusiasm creep into her as her mind began swarming with questions and ideas, "IRA? Caesar, did you build an AI into the lab? That must be what you have been doing this past week, right? Is it finished, or are you still working a few kinks out because a week is still a short interval of time to be able to install and code the proper programs into the entire lab? Actually, is your AI just part of this lab that you can communicate with from different locations, or is it coded into a more mobile device that can connect with the systems around you? While that is more work, especially within just several days, it would definitely prove to be more efficient, then again-"

"Violeta, cariña, let him answer," Rafael interrupted with haste, just as curious as his wife, struggling to hold back his childish excitement, "Mijo, go on."

Caesar beamed, "Sí, well, you are correct about IRA being an AI. It stands for Independent Robotic Assistant; I immediately began working on the idea of a more computerized and mechanical lab assistant since my last one left, and while at first, I planned on going with a simple mechanism that responded to basic commands like fetching me my tools and reporting the status on many of the machines and computers here, but as I continued, I figured why not go further by increasing response-time and complexity? For example, as you just saw, IRA is capable of analyzing not just mechanical but also organic beings and measure their temperature, blood pressure, hydration levels, among other things. For now, IRA is to remain here in this lab until I perform my final tests on its efficiency and maybe add a couple more features. After that, I plan on transferring the program onto probably a more mechanical form to help me with heavy lifting and such."

As Caesar proceeded to explain and demonstrate IRA's abilities, Violeta and Rafael eagerly remained attentive, only stopping to ask questions about the program's functions. It wasn't until Violeta asked how and why their son came up with IRA in the first place that they realized something.

"Well, it was shortly after my last assistant quit," Caesar looked thoughtful as he recalled the moment of his inspiration, "Remember when you and Papí talked to me about how machines were more superior than humans when it came to the laboratory setting?"

"Uh, no, we were talking about how people are not as durable as machines, so you should be more careful." Violeta sounded wary as she could already tell this was not going somewhere good.

"Yes that, so after the two of you left, I came up with the idea of, instead of hiring another assistant who's just going to quit, get fired, or hospitalized, I should just build an assistant!"

Violeta gave a concerned glance to her husband who, despite his strong interest in his son's accomplishment, could sense her unease and why. Rafael gave only the slightest hesitation before speaking, "Well, mijo, as proud as we are of your achievement with IRA, don't think this almost goes against what our entire was about?"

"Not at all," the younger Salazar responded without a second thought, "If anything, I've taken what you've said. By creating IRA, I'm saving everyone the trouble of finding me just another expendable person who won't be able to keep up or even understand what I want from them, unlike IRA whose whole purpose is to do just that! Machines know how to follow orders and do them exactly right, which is why I was always against having a human assistant in the first place."

"I see your point-"

"Raf, no!" Violeta interrupted before turning her attention to her son, "Caesar, IRA is amazing, yes, but you can't just be replacing any person you don't like with a machine."

"Violeta, I don't really see the problem, "surprising his wife, Rafael anticipated the accusatory look she'd give him before he continued, "This is probably better for him. The whole problem was him abusing his poor assistants, but with IRA, we don't have to worry about lawsuits, getting fired, or just anyone getting hurt overall. It's not like he's replacing Rex with a computer brother or anything. I believe this will really make things easier for everybody… so long as he refrains from excessive explosions throughout the building and the man-eating plants."

"That really got out of hand, but I am certain, well not certain," Caesar, thankful for his father's support, sheepishly grinned as he rubbed the back of his head, "but I am quite sure it won't happen again."

"But Raf, don't you see the implications this has? Today, it's just a mechanical assistant, but human interaction is significant, especially in this type of-"

"I understand, Hermosa, pero I think you're overthinking this," pausing, he leaned away from their son to whisper, so he couldn't hear, "We've had this conversation many times before, but he's fine, and he's going to keep being fine."

Despite her husband's reassurances, she hissed back, "That's because you two are too similar with this type of thing! I'm just… worried. I've always been…"

"Well, I turned out fine, right?"

Caesar, meanwhile, allowed his parents to argue as he returned to his work and resumed coding, oblivious that they were heatedly talking about him. Violeta looked at him, sadly, as she recalled the previous discussions she and Rafael have had about their son's obsessive behavior with machines and his inventions plus his asocial habits throughout childhood. It's not as if he's suffered miserably because of his lack of socialization, but from the way he disregards others' well-being for the sake of his work had always concerned his mother. She wasn't going to be able to be there for him forever, so what kind of person will he become without somebody to keep him grounded like this family has been doing for each other? Will he forget about his family: Rex, Abuela, her, Rafael, Gabriel, and everyone else? The idea of her son becoming like his machines terrified her.

Rafael, on the other hand, wasn't as anxious, but he understood his wife's worries. He used to be -he may still be- like Caesar who preferred the lab over what the social world had to offer if it wasn't to sate his curiosity's never-ending hunger. Perhaps combined with Violeta's stubborn and passionate nature, it had intensified these feelings for Caesar, which Raf acknowledges, but he was confident that he wouldn't let his son lose himself in this mechanical, cold world for as long as he was around.

It's not necessarily that they hated their son's eccentricities, but their co-workers, Caesar's past classmates and teachers, former neighbors, and even strangers were not as tolerant, which was the parents' main concern. For his quirks may make him differ from others, they just didn't want people to want to take matters into their own hands as they've witnessed in the past, especially during this project the three of them were working on.

Violeta scowled once more before leaving the lab without another word. Rafael called after her but went ignored. Giving his son one last look while the young scientist commanded IRA for a systems update, Raf went after his wife and left; Caesar remained unaware.

"Dr. Salazar, Dr. Salazar and Dr. Salazar have removed themselves from the lab." IRA, once having given its update, informed Caesar of his parents' departure.

Pausing his typing, he looked around his lab to find he was the only one there, but he shrugged, nonchalantly and resumed his work until IRA spoke up, again, " Dr. Salazar."

"Yes, IRA?" Despite his AI initiating conversation, he continued his work without a glance.

"Dr. Salazar seems to express concern over your decision over my assembly. Is there an unknown caution I am unaware of, regarding my creation?"

"No, it's nothing, really. Don't trouble yourself, IRA."

"Am I to dismiss Dr. Salazar's concerns?"

"Yes, she just worries about me, even when she doesn't have to."

"Is there a previous injury or illness I am uninformed of? May I take another body scan to reconfirm, Dr. Salazar?"

"No, there isn't anything…" Caesar paused before a small smile graced his features, "She's just doing what mothers do."

"What do mothers do? You are referring to their responsibilities?"

"Uh, they make sure their kids are okay all the time and want to take care of them like making sure they ate and had enough sleep," the young scientist recalled all the times his mother barged in his lab before to drag him to lunch or to go home and rest, "even when it's not that necessary for them to check in."

"Informative. Is this similar to fathers' responsibilities?"

"More or less, I suppose."

"Is there a reason to Dr. Salazar's, your father, lack of check-ins in comparison to Dr. Salazar, your mother? Is this one of the indicators of differences between a mother and father's responsibilities?"

"Not really at all. That has more to do with mom and dad's personalities and thought processes. Papí worries too, but not in the way Mamá does," Caesar let his mind momentarily wander off to the times his father ruffled his son's hair or they went to the junkyard to gather spare parts for an invention Caesar wanted to build for the science fair, "She's said that he expresses his feelings usually through his actions more than his words like she does."

"Fascinating."

Caesar stopped typing but didn't turn, for their wasn't a face to look at anyway, "You think so?"

"Yes, the complex relationships human parents have with their creations is very compassionate, even if redundant or extraneous."

"You're showing genuine interest in something…" the scientist looked intrigued, "I think _that's_ fascinating. Is there anything else you're curious about, IRA?"

There was a beat as IRA processed, "...Dr. Salazar and Dr. Salazar are your creators, correct?"

"Well, 'parents' is the more common term, but yes… why do you ask?"

"Dr. Salazar, what would you classify as a standard parent-child relationship? The definition of 'parent' is 'a man or woman in relation to his or her natural child or children', and a 'child' can be defined as 'one in relation to either or both of their parents'. Is it dependent on one's relation with the other then? Is direct blood connection required, or is it some other bond that does not mandate genetics?"

"Well, when you take step-families and adoption into account, blood relation doesn't really matter. Logically, families are usually referring to genetics, but…" that seemed like the correct response, but then, Caesar remembered Abuela and the people at the village, and the big dinners every night and watching Rex pretend to be wrestlers with Federico, "I wouldn't say that was entirely accurate."

"I see."

"Why are you so curious about parents and families, IRA?" Caesar chanced a glance at the ceiling where the voice resonated the most.

"The relationship you and your parents have lacked much logic, and initially, I believed it to be a flaw in human creation, but with the data you have given me, I stand corrected that this flaw is essential for your species' existence."

"Hm, you were just checking for sort of errors in us. Similar to how you check the computer's system for bugs?"

"That is correct."

Caesar hummed and went back to work as he realized that this curiosity was simply IRA following its directive rather than self-awareness or desire. Maybe when it learns more, it will develop something beyond its programming? That will be interesting.

"Dr. Salazar."

"Yes?"

"Am I correct to confirm that you are not my father?"

"...No, I don't think so. You're machine, not human, IRA."

* * *

 _Okay, this chapter kinda is sad. Just a little bit. Violeta is worried, Rafael isn't worried enough, and Caesar just seems so... cold at times, but his conversation with IRA may help disprove that, maybe. I kinda am dissatisfied with the way I wrote the characters here, but it's not that bad. I hope you guys like IRA, so far. It was actually more difficult than I thought to write like an AI computer personality._

 _Anyways, I appreciate the reviews, and please, leave more, what you liked or disliked, constructive criticism, whatevs!_


	3. Rex Meets IRA

It had been a whole month since Caesar revealed his newest creation: IRA. And still, his mother Violeta was very against the utilization of the program, and she despised every bit of herself that screamed fascination with the AI. Rafael, on the other hand, couldn't be prouder of their son's newest innovation and was as open about it as he would allow himself, often even giving Caesar advice for ways to improve IRA, much to the displeasure of his wife. Even many of their co-workers expressed approval to IRA's development as they had found Caesar's screaming assistants in the past to be somewhat inconvenient. Though, the AI's continually developing self-awareness did make others uneasy.

Rex adored IRA, though.

Many expressed concern and discontent with the Salazar family allowing their youngest son, who wasn't even in middle school, within the premises of the building. With the endless hours of work that could extend to days at a time, the higher-ups have made it so that any of the workers on the Project could temporarily live in the lower levels of the building. Several of the scientists came from different parts of the world, the Salazars included, so it was thought to be more convenient to offer them housing and other necessities to make them more comfortable as they worked.

Unfortunately, it had proved a bit of a challenge to keep a one Rex Salazar entertained and 100% well-behaved as they worked. Hired chaperones and the like were employed to watch many of the scientists' children, but the youngest Salazar was not satisfied and desired to explore the more interesting parts of the building when nobody was looking. Being put in the same vicinity as his parents and brother's workplace, Rex was eager to see what awesome robots they could be working on now that he was finally within reach of them this time.

The espionage was short-lived, though. In such a strict and busy locale, it was not hard for somebody to spot the young Hispanic boy tiptoeing through the halls. Fortunately for him, it was Dr. Gabriel Rylander who found him.

A long-time friend of the Salazars, this was not the first time that Gabriel Rylander had worked alongside the family. In fact, he had been there when Violeta and Rafael first met and watched as the couple fell in love and grew into a family with Gabriel not too far behind with his own wife and son. He was close enough with Rafael and Violeta that he helped name Rex and made his Godfather. Violeta appreciates that, despite the stress the Nanite Project has brought, Rylander has managed to remain one of the more optimistic and cheerful of the bunch, especially during the more tense discussions. When even the most logical minds get into a heated debate, it's beneficial to have someone level-headed speak up before things got out of hand.

"Rex? What are you doing here?" he called after the child who flinched as he was caught peeking around the corner. Slowly, the boy turned around in guilt at having been caught but relief when he recognized his capture.

"Oh, hi, Padrino Gabriel! I was just… looking around the place," Rex faked an interested examination of the wall and hummed, "Yep, looks good to me! I should be heading off now!"

"Not so fast!" laying a hand on the retreating boy's shoulder, Rylander looked sternly down at his godson, "You shouldn't just be strolling around this place, Rex. It's dangerous, especially for a child. I'm sure your parents have told you that, already."

"I just-" the child stopped himself and bit his lip before shyly mumbling, "I just wanted to see Mamá, Papí, and hermano."

From the way Rex bashfully avoided eye contact and how his voice trembled sadly, it was more than enough to make Gabriel's heart clench. He replaced his strict demeanor for his more familiar and kind manner that Rex knew better, "Well, your parents are in a meeting right now, so you can't see them…"

Rex's shoulders slumped in disappointment, "Oka-"

"But I'm sure Caesar will appreciate a visit."

And just like that, the boy's attitude improved, "Really? Can we go see him? Por favor, Padrino?"

Gabriel chuckled at his Godson's childish enthusiasm as the boy was practically jumping in place, "I don't see why not. He's been spending too long in that lab alone with IRA, anyway. Dang near obsessed, that boy."

"IRA? Who's that? His girlfriend?" Rex grasped Gabriel's hand as the two of them went to find the elder Salazar brother.

"No, but at this rate, that's probably the next thing he's going to build."

* * *

Caesar had been meticulously shifting and turning over a small object with a mini-screwdriver and tweezers. Over his eyes was a pair of specialized goggles of his own design that allowed him to enhance his view of his current project efficiently and perform occasional scans for updates with ease. It was tensely quiet as he was engrossed in focusing all his concentration on what he was currently working on until a large shock spark of electricity zapped his unprotected fingers. He dropped his tools and swung his damaged hand away with a startled yell. Moments of checking for damage on either himself or his current invention, a voice with a familiar unchanging intonation sounded throughout the room, "Dr. Salazar. You have just suffered minor burn damage to the epidermis of your right hand and minor electrical shock throughout your system, targeted at the nerves on your right hand. Do you wish to perform first aid treatment?"

"No, I'm fine, IRA." Caesar quickly waved off his AI as he crouched down to pick up his tools from the ground, "It was just a small shock. Happens all the time."

"Dr. Salazar. A solution to prevent further injury would be to equip adequate protective gear. In the case of electrical damage, a leather material has proven effective for welding tasks as the leather can resist most forms of sparks and heat. Added benefits are the decreased risk of cuts and abrasions while being worn. Though aluminized material-"

"HE'MANO!" disrupting the stagnant atmosphere of the lab was the delighted and young voice of one Rex Salazar whose energy poured into Caesar like cold water. Almost like a second shock throughout his body, the young scientist suddenly stood up from his crouching position but miscalculated and ended up hitting his head on the edge of his work table with a pained yelp.

Despite his disturbance, Rex remained oblivious as he took in the lab around him with gasping awe and twinkles in his eyes. Not too far behind, an amused Rylander walked in after the younger brother as the sliding panel door shut behind him, "Caesar, you have a visitor."

"Yeah, I noticed," mild annoyance was in Caesar's voice at being bothered and the painful bump forming on his head. As he stood up with a hand on his head, a frown was evident on his face, "Rex, what are you doing here?"

Though obviously irked, the older brother was automatic to get down on one knee and return the running hug his little brother gave him.

"I found him sneaking around the halls," Rylander answered, heart warmed at the affectionate scene before him, "It seems he somehow managed to escape his chaperones."

Scowl deepening, Caesar stood back up, but Rex remained latched on like a koala, so he had to support him by keeping a hand on his younger sibling's lower back. The boy's grin widened as he leaned back to look at his brother, "I was being a spy like in las pelikoolas!"

The elder couldn't help the humored twitch in his lips as he corrected him, "Las peliculas, hermano."

Young Rex nodded with eagerness before IRA's voice caught his attention, "Dr. Rylander. Rex Salazar. Good afternoon."

While Rylander was casual to greet the AI back, the young boy was shaken with amazement and was quick to pour out questions in a similar fashion to his mother, "What's that?! How does it know my name, Caesar? Is that a ghost, he'mano?! Does that mean this lab is haunted! What is it, what is it-"

"That, Rex," rescuing the exasperated Caesar from the boy yelling in his ear, Rylander chuckled as he gestured around the room, "is Caesar's newest invention: IRA."

"Yes, mijo," cringing and carefully setting his brother down, Caesar reached down to pick up his abandoned tools, "it is a lab assistant of my own design. It's currently a work in progress, but so far, I am pleased to say that it has been quite more efficient in that it has helped me increase productivity and efficiency around the lab than ever before."

There were few seconds of silence as the youngest Salazar glanced around the lab, curiously, before blurting, "Is IRA a girl or a boy?"

"¿Quė?"

"You keep calling IRA an 'it,'" Rex looked skeptical to his sibling as he pointed at the ceiling like he assumed IRA was living up there, "but isn't IRA a girl? Or just a girly boy?"

"IRA doesn't have a sex, hermano," Caesar shook his head at the childish ignorance, hoping to defuse the situation before he starts having a back-and-forth argument with his kid brother like he has in the past, "It can't be a male or female."

"No, you gave it a girl name and a girly voice, so it must be a girl robot!"

"Rex, by that logic, your prepubescent voice means you are a girl." A few feet away, Rylander held back a snicker at the usually well-tempered Caesar's backhanded comment. Only Rex could get this reaction out of the young inventor so quickly without even knowing.

"No! I'm a boy!"

"Yeah, and you're also a person with a gender, unlike IRA, a computer program."

"Did you ask IRA?"

"Ask what?"

"If they are a boy or a girl!"

"Rex, that's-"

"IRA!" interrupting his argument, Rex bellowed at the ceiling, making Caesar flinch at the child's obnoxious volume.

"Yes, Rex?" IRA, having remained indifferent to the arguing siblings the whole time, responded on time with the same monotonic inflection as usual.

"Are you a boy or a girl robot?"

A beat passed as IRA processed the question, "As a machine whose sole purpose is to assist in a lab setting, identifying with a gender would prove to be nonfunctional to my performance, and as there is no benefits nor hindrance in doing so, I have, so far, identified as none. At most, the use of human pronouns or conforming to a machine's nonexistent gender norms would only prove useful in making it simpler for addressing me versus as an 'it,' and that is if humanization would make the one addressing me more comfortable."

"Can you do that? Be neither a boy or a girl?"

"Rex, IRA is not a person."

"Yes." Ignoring his brother's increasingly exasperated explanations, Rex was only satisfied to hear the answer from IRA itself, and only then did he nod in understanding. His brother groaned inwardly.

As Rex went silent, Caesar was hoping to quickly kick out his two intruders and get back to work. Unfortunately, Rex only had more questions, "...IRA, do you know everything?"

"I don't know how mom and dad do it." Caesar was accustomed to being bombarded with questions, even the more ignorant ones. Nonetheless, he found the simplistic and ridiculous nature of Rex's curiosity was frustrating, primarily when he was too unrelentingly stubborn to understand a logical answer that a computer program wasn't inherently with identity aside from what he already coded, like its designation and purpose. The scientist never thought to give IRA a 'he' or 'she' character because he felt it was pointless to what he was trying to achieve. Male, female, both, neither, he cared about proficiency, not labels, so what good would a boy or girl robot do him personally? Were he to humanize his creation to act more like a person, he might as well have just hired another human being instead of building his assistant. While the notion was interesting, he was busy with a new project at the moment and didn't have for his AI to become too self-aware.

"Caesar, what's this?" Rylander called, pulling the younger man's attention away, as he pointed to some open blueprints on a nearby computer screen. It was filled with statistics and scientific jargon the layman could only hope to comprehend and in the center was what resembled a close-up image of a nanite, though with alterations.

"That is the work in progress design for my newest innovation to this project!" at the mention of this new project, Caesar lit up and eagerly walked over to explain, letting his little brother amuse himself with his AI for the time if just to keep the boy out of trouble.

"IRA, where is your face?"

Rylander, knowing Caesar as long as he did, knew the pattern of disaster Caesar and his exciting projects would lead to eventually. At first, he would provide impressive and ingenious designs, but at some point, something terrible had to go wrong, "Oh no."

"No, Rylander, I promise this is something good!" Pulling up a nearby chair, Caesar started to quickly type onto the computer as the image of the nanite on the screen would rotate and zoom out, "As you may recall from out most recent meeting, there was the control issue?"

"IRA, what's your favorite color?"

"Yes, that was probably one of our less productive meetings," Rylander sighed, recalling the borderline acrimonious arguments they had as they debated the ethics and logic of having either self-controlled nanites versus a human-machine link. The likes of Violeta and surprisingly Van Kleiss proposed the latter while unsurprisingly, Rafael and Caesar were for the former. Personally, Rylander thought both would have equal potential for disaster, and he tried proposing some hybrid of both, but it was hard to get a word in once Van Kleiss and Rafael started bickering, and it had gotten a bit personal. In the end, the meeting had to be cut short to prevent further altercation.

"Well, Dr. Rylander, while that was all happening, I came up with a possible solution," Caesar's giddy voice brought the older man out of his thoughts. He could see the building passion was unmistakable on the younger scientist, and Rylander could definitely tell that this boy was Violeta and Rafael's offspring, "I am currently designing a machine that will be able independently to control nanites without the inevitable bias and peril of human error. I call it the Alpha Nanite."

 _"IRA, do you like to watch los luchadores on TV? What do you watch on TV? Do you even watch TV?"_

* * *

 _Happy New Year, guys! Generator Rex has been my favorite part of 2017, and you guys are a major reason why._

 _I know this update was super later, and this story, this chapter especially, is pretty uneventful so far, sorry! I promise I will get things moving as soon as I can, ah._

 _Thank you for reading!_


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